[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 111 (Thursday, August 11, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                             THE CRIME BILL

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, the crime bill was filed last night at 7 
p.m. It is over 900 pages. Most of my colleagues in this House have not 
seen the bill. That is why a recent survey by the Luntz Research Group 
is very, very important: 36 percent of those people who were surveyed 
in America said they do not want to see this crime bill passed now; 55 
percent felt somewhat more strongly.
  If all these people knew that there were 30 new social spending 
programs in the bill and that it is at a cost of almost $9 billion, I 
think all of them would say, do not pass this crime bill.
  What happened to Vice President Gore's mandate that we reduce 
Government programs and spending? Why are we adding 30 new social 
spending programs?
  If we looked at the statistics from the Justice Department, since 
1965, we see that the amount of money spent for welfare has increased 
800 percent yet the crime rate has tripled. That is why all Americans 
believe our Government is too big and spends too much money. They want 
us to go back and develop a new crime bill.

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